The prime minister Wang Jian pointed out that since Xiao Zhaoye would be in line to inherit the throne in the future, he only needed a wife of noble birth, not necessarily one with a strong clan.
The most well-known affair she carried out was with Xiao Zhaoye's attendant Yang Min (楊珉): it was said that they spent day and night together, just like husband and wife.
Some historians indicate that there could have also been a sexual relationship between Xiao Zhaoye and Yang Min, suggesting a ménage à trois.
Outwardly, he mourned his father's death and was worried about his grandfather Emperor Wu's health, as Emperor Wu was also in ill health at the time, but when he wrote to the Crown Princess, he wrote one large character of Xi (喜, meaning "happiness") surrounded by 36 smaller Xi characters.
When he subsequently tried to withdraw the verdict after Xiao Tanzhi left, it was too late; Yang had been executed.